The present invention relates to a drive device, particularly for textile machines, wherein at least two three-phase electric motors are arranged alongside each other with their axes parallel. The stators of these motors are each provided with one winding, and are formed as a stack of laminations, wherein the laminations of each stator are integrally formed with the correseponding laminations of all other stators.
If two or more shafts are arranged with their axes parallel to and alongside each other with a relatively small center-to-center distance, space considerations can make it difficult or out of the question to provide a separate electric motor, unique for the individual drive of each one of these shafts. West German Pat. No. 367,938 addresses the problem of individually driving the spindles of spinning machines in which the center-to-center distance between the spindles is very small, by proposing that the respective stacks of stator laminations for each of the plural three-phase drive motors be arranged in a common housing in order to eliminate housing space between two stator laminations which are immediately adjacent each other. In addition, it is proposed that the laminations of each stator be developed integral with the corresponding laminations of the directly adjacent stator, whereby a further saving in space is obtained.
However, there are certain other situations, for example in work components of texturing machines, in which center-to-center distances between shafts of a clustered plurality are so short that, even if one dispenses with a separate housing, the space available is not sufficient for the motors necessary for an individual drive of each shaft. Therefore, each of these shafts carries a pulley, and a toothed belt over all such pulleys of the cluster is relied upon to drive all the corresponding shafts. In addition, one of the shafts has a drive pulley, which is subject to the constant side thrust of a flat-belt drive. Such belt drives have the disadvantage not only of relatively great losses of energy but also of the short life which is characteristic of toothed belts; these facts mean relatively high maintenance expense and relatively frequent shut-down of the component, thus definitely reducing the effectiveness of the texturing machine.